it was probably while i was watching
the plastic bottle of parmesan cheese
roll toward a slush and snow bank
that i realized i was still alive

my hat had flown off for sure
it ended up in your path and i’m sorry for that
but i lost a jar of pork gravy in this
and a can of black beans was dented

i landed right on my left arm and my ribs felt like hell

for a moment i thought maybe i’d cracked them
but i figured with the way
i was writhing around on the icy pavement
that maybe they were just very bruised

it was pretty amazing that i didn’t crack my head

i think that says a lot for my will and instinct
to just twist my body in midair like that

anyway you saw the whole thing
so there’s no point in me rehashing it here

also, i’m sorry for my display

had i known that i was going to hop up off the pavement
in a fit of blind rage
and start shouting invective into the gray morning
while my ribs burned and my left arm hung limp and useless
i would’ve made sure to warn you

it’s just that those bastards never salt their sidewalk
and i’ve been telling everyone
that something like this was bound to happen

well, it happened to me

so excuse me for calling the people next door
lousy cocksuckers
telling their closed front door that i wished they were all dead
threatening to kill the dog across the street
for barking while i stumbled around in pain
trying to pick up my hat and my groceries off the ground
without slipping and sliding and falling again

and i’ll forgive you for never stopping to ask
if i was all right
not while i was laying their prostrate
and not when i was standing there battered and weak

we’ll just pretend like you gave a shit
instead of looking back at me and shaking your head
before tip-toeing into your apartment

we’ll pretend that when i shouted
thank you for your kindness
that i was being genuine and sincere

and that after you were gone
i skipped home for coffee and the sunday paper
my faith in humanity bubbling over

instead of stumbling around on the street alone
trying to figure out if those thick spots all around me
were patches of pork gravy or my blood.